Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston) has loaded its first two vessels with polymer-grade propylene (PGP) for export at the Enterprise Hydrocarbons Terminal (EHT) along the Houston Ship Channel, adding a new service at the facility. The company said it is expecting an increase in the number of PGP export cargos in response to growing international demand.

The company has the capacity to load 5000 metric tons per day of refrigerated PGP at its Houston dock facilities. The cargos are supplied directly by propylene fractionators and storage wells at Enterprise’s Mont Belvieu complex. Enterprise recently made enhancements to its pipeline and rail infrastructure to facilitate delivery of refinery-grade propylene (RGP) to its fractionation facilities. RGP, a mixture of propane and propylene, is separated
into PGP.

“Our EHT facility provides us with the enhanced efficiency and additional capacity we need to meet the increased demand from our customers looking to export PGP, which is price advantaged due to the shale revolution,” said A.J. (Jim) Teague, CEO of Enterprise’s general partner. He added that with the addition of Enterprise’s new propane dehydrogenation plant in the second quarter of 2017, Enterprise will have the capability to produce 7.5 billion pounds of propylene per year, sufficient to meet the needs of its domestic and international customers.